Murder sparks India-Nigeria diplomatic storm

Christian Nwaneli stood outside the Nigeria High Commission in New Delhi, India, waiting to settle a business dispute with his Indian business partner.

Nwaneli, a Nigerian, wanted the embassy to help him retrieve thousands of United States dollars his partner owed him.

But the Indian partner did not turn up. Instead, Nwaneli received a text message asking him to come to Gurgaon, 30 kilometres south of Delhi, for the money.

“I chose not to go for security reasons… I will never come back to India. It’s better to trade with the Chinese,” Nwaneli told Al Jazeera.

Tensions between Nigerians and Indians have escalated since a Nigerian, Obodo Uzoma Simeon, was found dead in Goa, a popular tourist destination, in the country’s west. Simeon was stabbed to death on October 31 in Panaji, Goa state’s capital.

Goa police were quick to lodge a murder case. However, the killing led to widespread protests by Nigerian expatriates, snowballing into a major law and order problem.

About 200 angry members of the community blocked a highway while the body was being taken for post-mortem examination.

The police brought the situation under control and registered cases of rioting, arson and destruction of public property against 51 Nigerians and a Ghanaian.

“Forty people have been arrested and a few others were detained for their involvement in rioting and other unlawful activities,” Kishan Kumar, director-general of Goa Police, told Al Jazeera.

“We are committed to serve people better and will allow no local or foreigner to take the law into their hands.”

For months, Goan police have been investigating suspected Nigerian links to drug gangs.

Last week, the Goa government submitted a report about Simeon’s murder to the Ministry of External Affairs, stating that he was killed because of “in-fighting between drug-related gangs,” and that a local, named Surender Por, had been arrested for murder.

There are only 50,000 Nigerians living in India, but there are over a million Indians living in Nigeria. Thousands of Indians living there will be thrown out on the streets if the forcible eviction of Nigerians in Goa does not stop, said Jacob Nwadibia, administrative attaché of the Nigerian High Commission in New Delhi.

It is time for Indians to leave Nigeria for Nigerians. I now appreciate why Idi Amin sent them packing from Uganda. They are mean, wicked and non-compromising with truth!

Indian nationals and directors/owners of Ispat Steel Nig Ltd, Alok Gupta, Raj Gupta, P.K. Srivastava, Anup Agarwal and others, used fake/fraudulent documents and deed of their own Plot C8 to obtain Governor’s Consent to Assignment and registration of Plot C9 Amuwo Odofin Commercial Scheme belonging to my company, Sam, Grace & Co Ltd. The property is situate in between their own Plots C8 and C10.

The Indians have continued since 2001 to illegally occupy our property.and refused to stop their trespass despite the fact that the “fraudulently registered Memorandum of Loss” they used for the criminal conversion of our property was canceled by the Lagos Land Registry. Their fraud, criminal action has cost us great loss of business and income for almost fourteen years with devastating and traumatic effect on our family.

Their company secretary and his firm S.A. Onadele & Co made application to Lands Bureau officials and deceived them to obtain Governor’s Consent and registration by claiming to be “solicitor” to my company when they are not. They also claimed falsely to have our “instruction to pay ground rent” to Government when they have never had any instruction from us. How devious can these Indians be?

I petitioned the Inspector General of Police and the Police went to serve them invitation (twice) but they refused to honour the invitations telling the Police Detective that they know the IG of Police, that they were with him the previous day!

They also told the Police Officer that they know the EFCC Chairman. Can any one imagine the Nigerians in this report, telling the Indian Police that invited them for questioning, that they know the Indian Inspector General of Police and the Chairman of the Indian equivalent of the EFCC?

Here in Nigeria, Indians are “invincible”. The Police got arrest warrants for the Indians but have not been able to execute the warrants since February 20, 2013
because they “traveled on holiday”! Which Indian will leave his business for eleven months and “travel on holiday”? Yet, Nigerians should see what these people are doing to our own people in their country!

I complained to the Indian High Commission but they ignored me.

I forsee the day coming very soon that Nigerians will be forced to eject these people from our land, our country! They are crime suspects who use money and influence to commit fraud and manipulate our officials to deny us justice in our own country! Enough is enough. Indians should leave our country now!!

sagat

They have to be kept in check or else they will take over the place. They are cunning business people